


Be Fierce

by BlueEyedArcher



Category: Far Cry 4
Genre: Be Fierce, Kalinag (mentioned), M/M, Mumu Chiffon (mentioned), Pet it before it kills you, Petting everything, Shangri-la, Tigers, Tigers are just giant house cats
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-26
Updated: 2018-04-26
Packaged: 2019-04-28 04:58:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14441865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueEyedArcher/pseuds/BlueEyedArcher
Summary: Ajay's unfortunate run in with a tiger doesn't go as planned, with Chiffon's motto ringing in his ears and a pouch full of considerably appetizing Yak Jerky in his possession, its an interaction that certainly leaves no doubt in his ancestral lineage guiding as far back as Kalinag. Ajay would just rather prefer the tiger encounters remain in Shangri-la and not modern world Kyrat.





	Be Fierce

_"When I say "be fierce" it means live intensely and without fear. Be bold and strive for quality in all you do. Above all, be free to express yourself however you fucking well please, regardless of what others think. That's fierce."_

 

**_-Mumu Chiffon_ **

  


“Be fierce.” Surprisingly enough, those words stuck with Ajay for a long time after his gallivanting across Kyrat to fulfill the orders for Kyrat Fashion Week. He found himself mumbling them at odd times when his mind would wander unnecessarily in between tasks and often could be heard in the back of his mind when he’d be out hunting for his own necessities. Bow in hand, eyes skirting his surroundings for any sign of prey. Gaze trailing over the small gives and signals of sambar running through the area recently, tufts of fur caught in branches, hoof marks stamping into the mud of the hill, small barely concealed paths through the thicker bushes and tall spindly grasses.

 

He often didn’t realize how lost those words would have him, not so much physically, but his mind would run off with the idea and leave him with his guard down. Of all the things that could stick in his mind, between Reggie and Yogi’s weed cocktails and the trippy adventures he’d take into Shangri-la every time he’d retrieve another piece of his father’s Thangka on top of all the other crazy bullshit with mercury infested rabid honey badgers on the warpath and wild dholes chasing people through the hills or even the highly pissed off and eager to bite Demon Fish that lurked in the depths of the Kyrati’s lakes and rivers. (Always in places where he thought it was safe enough to take a swim. Lake Visalakhutta near Utkarsh was one mistake he wasn’t making ever again.)

 

This just so happened to be another one of those times when his mind would escape him, blinking back to reality, he found himself crouched at the base of a tree, his calves aching with the prolonged position, bow still clasped between his fingers and his prey long since fled. He sighed, lowering it to the ground as he plopped back to rest on his butt. He returned the arrow to his quiver, setting his bow aside while he dug through his bag, retrieving his canteen to take a few greedy sips to cool after the long hot morning he’s had. The days were dragging on and with the majority of the south freed from the Royal Army’s control, he found more ease in these little outings. It was much quieter without all the constant gunfire exploding in the distance. The rest of the cells of soldiers retreated back to the north, trying to keep them as far out as possible and halting the Golden Path’s most recent advances. Which, he had a nice little break from for once.

 

He dug around in his bag, resting his canteen in his lap as he sought out some dried yak jerky Sabal had taught him to make. At first it wasn’t something he was particularly fond of, but when going hungry was the other option, his taste changed for the better, to the point he wouldn’t leave Banapur without it. Though, he’d have to make another stop on the way back, finding his pouch of rations was going empty and he had only a few pieces of jerky left. Maybe enough for a day or two of grazing, but not enough to hold him over for a trip to the north for a few days. He broke a piece off, resting it on his tongue as he sipped at his canteen, letting it soften up the hardened meat as he relaxed against the tree, his eyes scanning the picturesque view of the hills and glistening lakes. The cool refreshing water daring him to take a dip but he knew better then to oblige if he valued his limbs.

 

It really was quiet, almost to the point of being unnerving. He chalked it up to his desensitization to gunfire and being far too accustomed to chaos that he no longer could appreciate the peace without suspicion. He sighed, breaking another piece off of the meat and taking another sip of his canteen before capping it to put it back in his bag. He felt a shiver climb up along his spine, a brief warning before hot breath rolled across the back of his neck. The scent of blood mingling in as he froze. _‘Be fierce.’_ Those words sparking in his mind, causing an internal groan. He was about to die and his last thoughts were the voice of a fashion designer. He felt another puff of hot breath on his neck, daring him to look as he steeled himself for teeth.

 

He found out teeth were the least of his troubles as large golden eyes stared him down. The pattern of orange and black mingling with the backdrop of dried brush and bushes. The white intersecting lines lost to the vision, some of which was stained with the blood of a recent albeit older kill. The massive creature chuffed out at him, giving a deep growl of warning as he moved slowly, his hand reaching for his knife. _‘Be fierce.’_ The voice reminded him, causing his hand to pause in it’s action, raising back up away from his kukri as he offered a hand to the beast.

 

He half expected to lose it in the process, watching as the massive tiger sniffed at his fingers, inspecting them with a wary sound. Its large tongue rolled out, dragging across his fingertips with a fond rumble. It took Ajay a moment to realize the beast was tasting the yak jerky he had been holding. He reached down to the pouch beside him and slowly plucked a larger piece up, offering it to the massive feline. It growled in warning, causing him to freeze, holding the piece of meat between his fingers as it tentatively took the offering with a surprising amount of care.

 

It backed up just enough to gobble down the piece, licking its mouth with a satisfied sound. Ajay slowly provided another, hoping that when he runs out, it won’t decide to eat him next. The tiger repeated the action, wary in between, reminding Ajay just who was in charge at the moment with bared teeth poised for the attack for any sudden movement. The pleasant rumble sparked memories of Shangri-la in his mind. Of Kalinag and the large white tiger. The way it moved, the fondness of its behavior for the native man. While the beast ate another piece of jerky, he tried to do something _bold -_ or just plain stupid. His fingers rising up to the side of the feline’s head, starting underneath it’s chin and working up along it’s cheek and towards one of its massive ears. At first it met the touch with a growl but as Ajay started to doubt his bravery, he found just the right spot that had the feline tilting into his touch. A steady rumble from its chest had his heart hammering and his nerves alight with excitement and shock.

 

He considered, when you boil it all down, tigers- much like many other felines- were just very big house cats. Just really massive stray cats with a hungry belly and a craving for attention when it matters. Especially if the hand giving attention also smells like spiced yak jerky.

  


It was really hard for him to believe any of this was real and not another Shangri-la hallucination. Ajay was stalking through the thick underbrush, bow in hand as he moved towards a herd of Sambar grazing near the lake side. He drew back his bow, a low rumble at his back caused a shiver to roll up his spine and his nerves to tense up. He took a deep slow breath to unwind, feeling out the familiar pull of the bow and focusing on the prey before him. He released the string, hearing the sickening thunk of arrow hitting flesh. A brief cry from the Sambar and it went down. The herd dispersed as the tiger rushed in on the beasts, barreling through and taking down a second deer. Ajay could hear the crush of bone in the smaller Sambar’s neck as the massive beast dragged its prey to a bush to partake of its bounty, leaving him to tend to his own kill.

 

It had been two days since the tiger found him in the brush. After running out of yak jerky and an extended hour of petting the massive feline, too afraid to do anything else lest he be mauled, he found the beast was a nice companion. If not terrifying as all can be. He reminded himself often of Mr. Chiffon’s words, crossing that with the bond Kalinag had with his guardian in Shangri-la. Though, he doubted he could go back to Banapur like this. The tiger may like him but he could already see the carnage as the beast goes after the first Golden Path member to provoke it. He was finishing up cleaning his kill, washing his kukri and his hands in the water nearby when his radio crackled to life. The static hiss caught him and the beast off guard, drawing a startled roar from the Tiger that had Ajay on his feet in a heartbeat. It had consumed a considerable portion of its kill, stalking out of the bushes towards Ajay as he answered the radio, hearing his name being called, its fur soaked in blood and jaws parted. He stared the beast down as it opened its jaws further apart before letting out a massive bloody sneeze on him. “Oooh, fuck! Really?” He whined, getting a splattering of congealed blood and snot on his jacket. He sighed, hearing a familiar voice burst across.

 

“Ajay, are you okay? Brother?” The tiger licked its jaws clean, giving a grunt of acknowledgement at his discomfort as it moved towards the waters edge for a drink.

 

“Yeah, sorry about that.” He sighed, already taking his jacket off to wash as he continued. “What’s up?”

 

There was a moment’s silence as Ajay knelt by the waters’ edge, his bare hands already working to scrub the blood off of the turquoise material. “I’ve not heard from you for a few days. You were supposed to return to Banapur yesterday, brother. I was growing concerned when you didn’t contact me or show up.”

 

Ajay sighed, raising a damp hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead as he considered what he was going to say to Sabal. He gripped the radio, answering back as calmly as he could. “Yeah, I got a little held up. I uh, I don’t know when I’ll be by.” His sounded more uncertain then he’d like, wincing at his own voice, he bit his lip, expecting the concerned tone that followed.

 

“Then I’ll come to you. Send me your location. I was hoping to talk with you anyway.” There was muffled sounds on the other end of the radio, voices bickering back and forth in Nepalese. The tones sounded teasing and light hearted, unlike the normally serious sounds that followed a group of Golden Path members.

 

Ajay cursed himself, giving a glance over at the tiger who’s large golden eyes were staring back at him expectantly. He couldn’t exactly tell Sabal no without worrying him. Knowing the older man, that would probably prompt him to send out a search part with half of the members on the lookout for him. He sighed, pressing the radio to his forehead as he cursed. _‘Kyra have mercy on me.’_ He took a slow deep breath and put on a strong confident tone as he relayed his information to Sabal, giving him his coordinates and requesting that if he was stopping by, if he could bring with him more of the jerky. He wasn’t sure how the tiger was going to respond but he knew well what works, hoping that if it does attempt to maul Sabal, it’ll at least take the jerky first.

 

It took an hour of waiting, which Ajay was starting to really feel the heat of the day by then, the harsh sun daring him to take a dip in the cool water. He contemplated his chances with the demon fish and figured if he stayed in the shallows, he’d have a better chance to flee before it could get close enough to him for a bite. He wasn’t anticipating that entering the water to waist deep was an invitation for the tiger to join him for a swim. Nor did he realize just how much it enjoys the water as it dove down under and popped back up, massive paws powering through with grace and ease. His signal to vacate the water came not in the approaching demon fish but with the sound of a car engine and the crunch of tires on dirt road. He hurried up, walking back to the shore to slide on his pair of jeans, warmed by the sun along with his t-shirt which was folded neatly beside it. His jacket was still wet, hanging up in the branches of the tree above his belongings to air dry.

 

“Ajay?” The familiar smooth voice of the rebel leader rose from the top of the hill, leading down towards the lake embankment. “Are you here brother?”

 

“Over here Sabal!” He called up, adjusting his shirt over his torso just as the dark jacket clad form entered his view, descending the minute slope. It made Ajay wonder idly if the elder man ever gets hot in it or takes it off, noting that he’s never seen him without it. His thoughts shifted rather quickly when Sabal’s green orbs widened in surprise. His hand already moving for his side arm, the rumble of the tiger growling out behind Ajay. “Brother! Look out!” He cried out but Ajay jumped in between Sabal and the tiger, his hands raised in a placating gesture, urging him to put his gun away.

 

“Don’t shoot! It’s friendly.” He reassured him, his eyes darting over his shoulder as the tiger stalked out of the water, shaking out the excess droplets from its thick fur and soaking the ground around it. Some of the spray even reaching Ajay’s recently dry clothing. He stifled a groan as he turned to face the bewildered rebel leader. “You brought that yak jerky, right?”

 

“I brought the- _Brother!_ What is the meaning of this?” Sabal hissed through clenched teeth, green hues darting from Ajay to the approaching tiger, massive paws pressing deep prints into the soft soil. He tensed, freezing up as it nudged up against Ajay’s thigh, pressing its weight against his leg, nearly causing him to buckle. It’s massive golden eyes rising up to meet Sabal with a growl of challenge, it’s massive head resting heavily against Ajay’s hip. His hand moved to scratch along the side of the beast’s face and jaw, working down beneath its chin as it rumbled out pleasant sounds, flopping down to his feet with a jarring thud. Ajay groaned as it knocked him back onto his butt as the beast rolled over to drape across his legs like an oversize house cat begging for affection.

 

“This is why I haven’t come back to Banapur. It’s been following me all over the place.” He explained, seeing the continued confusion on the rebel’s part. Ajay sighed. “It likes the jerky you gave me.” He explained, adding emphasis to the statement that stirred Sabal out of his stupor. He shifted, pulling at a strap that mostly blended in with his jacket, withdrawing a satchel of supplies. This included extra herbs, a medical kit, additional rations and of course a tin container of the yak jerky. The tiger’s head perked up when he lifted the tin, its eyes fixed on Sabal, watching his every movement with close scrutiny. “Give it a piece.” Ajay urged, seeing the hesitance coming off of the rebel leader. He was capable of facing down an army of Pagan’s finest, enduring an ambush on Banapur and a shelling, but when faced with feeding a tiger, he was shocked. It was understandable, considering Ajay’s reaction was much the same.

 

“Be fierce.” Ajay chuckled, finding himself repeating the same motto Mr. Chiffon preached to him day and night.

 

Sabal looked even more confused than before. “What does that even mean, brother?” He sucked in a sharp breath as he held out a piece of the jerky to the massive beast, it’s head rising to take it from his fingers.

 

“It means be fearless and to live boldly. At least that’s what Mr. Chiffon always tells me.” He sighed, relieved that the enormous weight of the beast was off of his legs enough for him to get back up to his feet. “Hold still.” Ajay reminded him as he watched the tiger carefully take the meat from Sabal’s hand. He shivered as the massive tongue rolled over his fingers before gobbling down the morsel. His eyes were wide, startled that this was even happening, drawing a chuckle from Ajay who gathered up his belongings from the nearby tree. The tiger seemed content with Sabal for now, releasing a deep pleasant rumble.

 

Ajay pulled his jacket back on as he clicked his tongue at the feline, signalling for it to direct its attention back to him. He held up a large chunk of the meat from the Sambar kill and waved it in front of the beast’s face. The tiger perked up stalking towards him, prepared to pounce. Ajay took the signal and heaved it into the air, sending it flying a good twenty or so feet away. The tiger bolted and chased after the meat, allowing him to give a rushed command to Sabal. “Come on. If we don’t leave quickly, it’ll keep following me.” Sabal nodded quickly, tucking the container back into his bag while simultaneously following Ajay back up the embankment. He heard the tiger give a deep bellow a ways behind them. It quickened his pace as they climbed inside the blue pick up marked with the golden kukri insignia. Ajay drove, noticing how shaken up Sabal was as they peeled out of the little patch of hillside and back onto the main road heading for Banapur. “Sooo…” Ajay started after several minutes of silence.

 

Sabal remained quiet, fingers woven together in his lap as if he was praying to Kyra, possibly thanking her for mercy and not letting him get mauled and eaten. His eyes were closed but his jaw tight as he searched for words. “That was incredibly stupid.” Was all he managed, giving a deep sigh at the end.

 

Ajay chuckled, taking a turn heading up the mountain side as he nodded in agreement. “I can’t argue with that.”


End file.
